2026 Community Grant Application
Deadline to apply: February 13, 2026
Only online applications will be accepted for 2026
Spirit of Construction Outreach Committee Mission Statement
“Celebrating the impact of the construction industry and creating career opportunities through charitable giving, education programs, advocacy, and professional guidance.”
Friday, February 13, 2026
Guidelines
The Grant Application should speak to the following metrics where appropriate:
- Focused age group
- Number of children and young adults served
- Number of Construction Trades involved
- Types of construction trades involved
- Number of volunteers involved
- Program duration
- Brief program summary
- Community engagement
- Business partners involved
- Other funding sources
Applicants must engage young people in hands-on activities as a requirement. Engagement of middle school children is encouraged. Grant Recipients will be meeting with the Spirit of Construction Outreach Committee to ensure a sharing of knowledge and resources, identify synergies, discuss measurement criteria, and provide any support to help their program become a success. The meeting is scheduled for May 22, 2025. Grant Recipients will be required to report on the appropriate project metrics in a final report due in October 2025.
Please attach additional sheets detailing your grant proposal. See below for details.
Answer the questions seen on the right in the order presented here. Please limit the length of your grant request to no more than 3 pages.
Questions to Answer
Please describe in detail what you hope to accomplish in receiving this grant and the expected return on investment to the construction industry provided by your organization.
Please describe the proposed project activities in detail. Include the following information:
- Timetable for completion.
- Describe your organization’s capacity to implement and administer proposed activities.
- Describe the status of the work and accomplishments to date, if applicable.
In one paragraph, please explain why your organization is worthy of this grant. Articulate your passion for the organization.
Please attach at least one but no more than 3 Letters of Recommendation from construction industry professionals who advocate your program or project.
Please attach one copy of your organization’s most recent annual report and a listing of your board members to each copy of your application.
Communication Criteria for Qualifying Organizations
To qualify (or not qualify) for Spirit of Construction grant funding through the Outreach Committee, the organization must be:
- Community-based 501(c) (3) or other proof of non-profit status.
- Qualified educational institutions and organizations that reflect the Spirit of Construction values and focus their efforts in a positive way.
- Controversial organizations or ones that require significant transfer of local funds to national or international parent organizations will not be considered.
- Applicants must engage youth and young adults in hands-on activities as a requirement.
Construction Education (not intended for scholarship purposes)
Supports students or construction-related programs at the following institutions of higher learning:
- Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
- Northern Kentucky
- University University of Cincinnati
- Trade and vocational programs in Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana will also be considered.
Workforce Development
- Programs or projects advocating the construction industry as the favorable career option to middle school, secondary school, and vocational/technical school students in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky/Southeastern Indiana regions. All grant requests are evaluated on merit.
Local Interest Projects
- Organizations directly or indirectly affiliated with the construction industry that have projects that enhance our city, create educational opportunities, or engage in other activities that advocate our mission will be considered.
In addition to the annual grants that the Outreach Committee awards, special grant requests will also be considered for recommendation to the Spirit of Construction Board for approval. These grant requests are not intended to be limited in dollar amount. They are subject to the Spirit of Construction Board’s approval and funds available within the organization to support such requests. An example of a special grant request would be the funding that Spirit of Construction has provided in the past for our Construction Advocate/Middle School Construction Careers Outreach Program.
Note: Application Grant Timeline can be found below the application form.
Application Form
2026 Outreach Committee Grant Timeline
January 5th – February 13th, 2026
- Grant Guidelines and Applications are available on-line at the Spirit of Construction website. To be eligible, application must be submitted no later than February 13th, 2026, and must be filed electronically.
- Note: As applications are received via the website, Amanda Smith will forward them to Grant Committee Chair, Sean Foley who will enter them into a tracking log including organization; contact name; telephone number; e-mail address; and amount requested. Once logged, the applications will be forwarded to the Grant Selection Committee consisting of the following 2026 Committee Members:
Sean Foley (Chair) foleys@nku.edu 859.802.0441
Brandon Bray bbray@brayinc.com
Stephanie Hall stephanie@rackjd.com 513.623.1955
February 16th – March 2nd, 2026:
- Grant applications will be reviewed by each committee member to familiarize themselves with each applicant
March 2nd – March 13th, 2026:
- Grant committee will meet as a group, evaluate the applicants, and rank candidates developing a shortlist. As necessary, interviews will be scheduled with applicants to obtain any further information necessary to make our decision.
March 16th – March 30th, 2026:
- Interviews held as necessary and final recommendations submitted to the Outreach Committee no later than March 30th, 2026.
April 6th, 2026:
- Outreach Committee approval of the Grant Review Committee recommendations. These will be submitted to the Spirit Board for approval (electronically) with notification to the recipients no later than April 13th, 2026.
May 12th, 2026:
- Outreach Committee to meet with all Grant Recipients (SOC Outreach Collaborative Meeting) to ensure a sharing of knowledge, resources, identifysynergies, discuss measurement criteria and provide any support to help their program to become a success.
May 13th, 2026:
- Introductions and presentation of checks to Grant Recipients at the SOC Spring Fling.
June 1st – August 28th, 2026:
- Emerging leaders committee members to follow up with all Grant Recipients to see where they are and provide any support they may need for their programs and discuss final reporting.
October 13th – October 30th, 2026:
- Final reports are due from Grant Recipients. Outreach Committee to meet with all Grant Recipients for final wrap-up meeting of their programs.
How We Communicate That Grants Are Available
- Spirit of Construction Board Member Communications
- Communicate to others within your own organization who may sit on other boards and know of organizations that may qualify
- Send out e-mail notification for posting on websites of construction affiliated organizations including:
- Allied Construction Industries
- American Society of Professional Estimators
- Associated Builders & Contractors
- C.O.A.T.S.
- CURT
- Construction Specifications Institute
- National Association of Women In Construction
- Society of Marketing Professionals
- Construction Financial Management Association
- C.R.E.W. (Commercial Real Estate Women)
- Contact previous grant recipients and advise them of the timeline for 2026 grant applications
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